After archiving the Rosenbaum Family Collection at Collier Library’s Archives and Special Collections, I became interested in the Frank Lloyd Wright Rosenbaum House in Florence. I have become particularly interested in the administration, maintenance, interpretation, and funding of house museums. As part of my Master’s Thesis, I will work to develop a theoretical twenty five year plan that will seek to improve and maintain the Rosenbaum House in each of these areas.
The University of North Alabama's London Study Abroad Program allowed me to research how the National Trust and English Heritage tackle each of the areas of concern; maintenance, funding, administration, and interpretation. This project also requires a clear understanding of the museum profession. Much of this research was conducted in London in order to provide for an efficient use of time and funding. London provides a variety of museum types in a relatively small area, as well as the British Library which contains a wide array of scholarly literature on the subject of museum management. Particular focus was placed on learning how the National Trust and English Heritage were created, their stated goals, their administrative design, as well as their authority and activities. This research is based on the assumption that the British system of historic preservation and museum administration is among the best in the world. This research will be combined with a study of the American system of historic preservation and museum administration in order to determine the best practices to incorporate into the strategic plan for the Rosenbaum House.
The research at the British Library was also focused on strategic planning and marketing strategies in relation to museums. This research simplified the process of strategic and marketing planning. Even though these resources ranged in date from the early 90’s to the present, many of the basic principles remained the same. The only major difference was in the way that technology was addressed. Obviously, the technology available to modern authors and museum directors is quite different from those of twenty years ago. However, by studying these works the professional nomenclature of the museum profession became much clearer. Understanding the terms and conventions of professionals in the field has allowed for better communication of ideas and questions. These best practices in areas such as methods of display and interpretation will be incorporated into the strategic planning for the Rosenbaum House using the appropriate professional language.
The research into museum management and presentation included twelve site visits to house museums and large museums in London in order to understand best practices in such areas as display methods, crowd control and security. These evaluations in addition to research into authoritative museum guidebooks led to the creation of an evaluation method based on Modern Museum Management by S.P. Gupta and Mohit Srivastava. This method allowed for a greater focus on each museum’s approached to administration, maintenance, interpretation, and funding. These evaluations were recorded in reflections that were used to develop this website which chronicles this research.
The research process in London has provided a clear understanding of the profession of museum management in terms of language, planning, and day to day operation. Further investigation focused on museum administration and maintenance will be conducted in order to effectively address these concerns in the strategic plan. This research will consist of site visits, interviews with professionals in the field, and evaluations of scholarly literature. Additional research into American house museums and other scholarly literature will focus on developing plans to address issues such furnishings, security and crowd control, the effective use and training of guides, as well as proper interpretive focus. This new information will be combined with the research gathered in London in order to form the structure of strategic and marketing plans for the Rosenbaum House and will aid in the formulation of specific plans of action.
The University of North Alabama's London Study Abroad Program allowed me to research how the National Trust and English Heritage tackle each of the areas of concern; maintenance, funding, administration, and interpretation. This project also requires a clear understanding of the museum profession. Much of this research was conducted in London in order to provide for an efficient use of time and funding. London provides a variety of museum types in a relatively small area, as well as the British Library which contains a wide array of scholarly literature on the subject of museum management. Particular focus was placed on learning how the National Trust and English Heritage were created, their stated goals, their administrative design, as well as their authority and activities. This research is based on the assumption that the British system of historic preservation and museum administration is among the best in the world. This research will be combined with a study of the American system of historic preservation and museum administration in order to determine the best practices to incorporate into the strategic plan for the Rosenbaum House.
The research at the British Library was also focused on strategic planning and marketing strategies in relation to museums. This research simplified the process of strategic and marketing planning. Even though these resources ranged in date from the early 90’s to the present, many of the basic principles remained the same. The only major difference was in the way that technology was addressed. Obviously, the technology available to modern authors and museum directors is quite different from those of twenty years ago. However, by studying these works the professional nomenclature of the museum profession became much clearer. Understanding the terms and conventions of professionals in the field has allowed for better communication of ideas and questions. These best practices in areas such as methods of display and interpretation will be incorporated into the strategic planning for the Rosenbaum House using the appropriate professional language.
The research into museum management and presentation included twelve site visits to house museums and large museums in London in order to understand best practices in such areas as display methods, crowd control and security. These evaluations in addition to research into authoritative museum guidebooks led to the creation of an evaluation method based on Modern Museum Management by S.P. Gupta and Mohit Srivastava. This method allowed for a greater focus on each museum’s approached to administration, maintenance, interpretation, and funding. These evaluations were recorded in reflections that were used to develop this website which chronicles this research.
The research process in London has provided a clear understanding of the profession of museum management in terms of language, planning, and day to day operation. Further investigation focused on museum administration and maintenance will be conducted in order to effectively address these concerns in the strategic plan. This research will consist of site visits, interviews with professionals in the field, and evaluations of scholarly literature. Additional research into American house museums and other scholarly literature will focus on developing plans to address issues such furnishings, security and crowd control, the effective use and training of guides, as well as proper interpretive focus. This new information will be combined with the research gathered in London in order to form the structure of strategic and marketing plans for the Rosenbaum House and will aid in the formulation of specific plans of action.